2026 Is the New 2016
I’ve noticed a recent trend on social media revisiting what life looked like back in 2016. I’m not exactly trendy—just ask my 12-year-old daughter—but I couldn’t help thinking about that year. A quick scroll through the photos on my phone reminded me that 2016 was a time of big, beautiful, slightly chaotic change for our family.
Back then, we were living on a corner lot in the city with a toddler, a teenager, and a swanky backyard chicken coop. I was still working about 20 hours a week in the hospital recovery room, and somewhere between potty training and teenage schedules, we decided we wanted more space. Not just more space—but peace. Quiet. No neighbors. No city noise. And, of course, room for a much bigger and swankier chicken coop.
We found all that and more about 30 minutes outside the city: five acres of solitude paired with a short-sale fixer-upper that had previously belonged to a cat hoarder. I’ll spare you the smelly details, but the first few months were spent scrubbing, painting, and replacing carpets and flooring. By the time spring arrived, we were finally ready to step outside and tackle what could only be described as an overgrown jungle.
We bought a tractor. Lucy—deep in her fluffy dress and sparkly purse era—added rubber boots to her wardrobe. It wasn’t just a new house; it was an entirely new lifestyle.
The chickens upgraded to a new coop, and we just kept going. Next came a fenced vegetable garden with raised beds, where Lucy loved hosting tea parties for her favorite hens. I started dreaming about a farm-based side hustle. There were several viable ideas, including selling eggs and vegetables—and my personal favorite—bedazzled goats for birthday parties. My nurse friends were fully supportive. My husband… less so.
By the fall of 2016, Logan was a freshman in high school and had Lucy started preschool. A flower farm was nowhere on the radar, but the joy of having my hands in the dirt had quietly taken root. We were learning, experimenting, and—without fully realizing it—designing a life we truly loved.
Looking back at 2016, I’m reminded that real change often starts with a simple desire for something more. We didn’t have it all figured out, but we were willing to step outside what felt comfortable. That year laid the foundation for everything that came next.
Revisiting 2016 is a reminder that meaningful change often begins with a simple desire for something more—and the courage to try. We didn’t have a clear plan or a polished vision, just a willingness to trade comfort for possibility. That year laid the foundation for everything that followed and shaped a life built with intention, creativity, and joy.
Sometimes, looking back helps us appreciate how far we’ve come—and why we started in the first place.
“Live the life you love. Love the life you live.”
—Bob Marley
Looking back now, 2016 was an excellent year indeed.